Dungeon Delve: The Netherspike (Encounter Areas 7-18)

Once the Player characters are dragged into the Roots of Netherspike they may conclude that the Netherspike is something other than a simple dungeon considering the same darkness beyond the Iron Gate will lead them into the 'roots' or the 'temple' of Netherspike. Some consider the Netherspike to be the remains of an Interdimensional Tree. Others consider it a Planar Kraken. Perhaps its both. Other than the Ogre in area 14, there isnt anything dangerous to the PCs in this part of the dungeon other than the long fall if they make a mistake.

6b- Dwarves pulled into the roots might begin to notice that the tunnel floor is beginning to slope downward from this point becoming increasingly inclined. If they think to drive in an iron spike between here and the edge of the precipice (area 7) the PCs can tie off a rope that allows them to avoid the fall ahead allowing them to climb down to area 16.

7- reaching this point the incline is so noticable that the rootbound player character begins to fall. What happens varies with Alignment:

• A chaotic character topples forward 10 feet to a ledge for 1d6 damage and then tumbling downhill another 20 feet to a resting place (area 8) taking 2hp. 
• A lawful character drops 40 feet to a ledge (area 13) taking 4d6 fall damage. 
• A neutral character tumbles backwards into a ditch (area 16) for 1hp damage.

Note: The Orientation of the dungeon is now vertical beyond this point, not horizontal.

8- this wide overhang is down a twenty feet tumble from a very precarious and narrow ledge. The PC can climb to the narrow ledge and unarmoured and driving iron spikes into the wall can climb slowly up to the ledge at area 16 or down thirty feet to area 13. They cannot otherwise jump up to the precipice at area 7 or the ledge at area 16 and doing so will cause the PC to drop thirty feet to the ledge at area 13 taking 3d6 damage from the fall.

9- this ledge is wet, moisture dripping from the rocks above not quite enough to make it slippery but there is soft white clay in the cliff face where the water trickles down sufficient to harvest 10cn worth (any magicuser with the necessary level and spells can use this clay to create a bowl of water elemental summoning).

10- a thirty feet drop down from area 9, this wide ledge drops off into the dark at each edge (dropping down to either area 11 or area 12). There is a backpack here with a pair of 50' ropes, and three iron spikes still attached to the skeletal remains of an adventurer in platemail. An inspection of the skeleton reveals the leg bones are broken.

11- thirty feet down from area 10, this sloping ledge is dominated by a pair of corpses that are cold and appear to be a few weeks old. Inspection of the remains reveals them to be the remains of orcs, one of whom has a magicuser scroll with levitate.

12- twenty feet down from area 10, this sloping shaft descends down to area 18. Its slippery thanks to moisture from above.

13- fourty feet down from area 7, this ledge has a pair of old iron spikes left behind by a climber. Getting to area 16 from here is dificult yet not unachievable.

14- twenty feet down from area 13, this substantial overhanging ledge is dominated by a cave painting and the corpse of an ogre. The cave painting details some image of a giant squid with tentacles radiating from a long body (this is a map of the netherspike detailing the upper body and the tentacles or roots). The Ogre is actually asleep getting rest having taken damage in the fall and been reduced to 1hp. Homic will wake and attack the PC inspecting the ogre's corpse with a rock club attempting to kill the PC and use their equipment to climb out.

15- thirty feet down from area 14, this fourty five degree slope is slippery forcing the PC to remain prone against the surface or they will slip down to area 18. If they have iron spikes and a hammer they can drive them in and arrest any possibility of falling or slipping down into area 18.

16- this ditch is filled with a puddle of something wet. It the PC fell into the ditch it isnt enough to drown in. An unarmoured jump from this ledge across a ten feet gap will safely carry the PC to the very edge of the precipice where the floor slope at area 7 becomes near vertical. From there they can crawl twenty feet to where they can haul up equipment or other Characters by rope.

17- this ledge is already occupied by a sword jammed in a crevice to which is tied a 50' rope that dangles over the edge and down into the dark.

This weapon is Tasha's Sword of Hideous Laughter: a magical sword +1 that on the first natural twenty hitroll causes the wielder to go into a berserker state laughing loudly in combat with a +2 hitroll bonus instead of the weapon's regular+1 (though the wielder continues to only recieve +1 to damage).

18- Anyone continuing down to the root tips becomes wedged taking 1hp per round until dead unless rescued.

Climbing back out of the netherworld: its possible that the PCs will become trapped in this area until they die of injury, starvation, or having become wedged at the bottom of the roots although there is remnant equipment necessary to climb out unarmoured. If they do make it back to area 7 they are transported to 6a which leads into the netherspike temple.